Closure for carrying clips or the like



y 1, 1951 w. G. LA PIERRE 2,551,019

CLOSURE FOR CARRYING CLIPS, OR THE LIKE Filed NOV. 10, 1945 liweaaioi' W6C. Lalfieflfle,

d1 a ne y Patented May 1, 1951 STAES GFFECE CLOSURE non CARRYING CLIPS on THE LIKE 1 Claim. 1

My present invention relates to fasteners of the clip type and particularly to improvements whereby their security is improved and their usefulness enlarged.

Such fasteners are adapted for many uses such as handbag closures, belt clips, or like devices adapted to hold two elements closed or to be hooked onto or attached to some article of apparel where they are most conveniently accessible.

While different types of closures are commercially available, they have not been entirely satisfactory for many uses because of the difilculty of quickly opening them or quickly removing the object or article carried by them and also because they were generally so constructed that they were subject to accidental opening.

Belt or like clips well illustrate the problems and in accordance with my invention I make them from strips of resilient stock bent to establish a pair of oppositely disposed compartments. The end of the portion of the strip that defines one of the compartments is bent to establish a hook and a manually engageable release tab and the portion of the strip that defines the other of the compartments has a bend shaped and disposed to be engaged by the hook to lock the firstnamed compartment closed. Adjacent one of the lock establishing bends, the strip has additional bends to establish a shoulder across the interior of the first named compartment and to bring portions of the strip, intermediate the shoulder-establishing bend and the lock establishing bends, into mutual contact when the first compartment is locked. By this construction, a compartment may be easily unlocked but cannot be wedged open from its interior.

By my invention I provide fasteners for clips or like devices that overcome these difficulties and in the accompanying drawing I have shown characteristic clips in accordance with my invention from which these and other novel features and advantages will be readily apparent regardless of the type of device in which my fasteners are employed.

In the single figure of the drawing, I have shown in perspective an embodiment of a clip in accordance with my invention.

The figure illustrates a clip in which a strip of suitable resilient stock is reversely bent to establish shoulders 5 and 6 so that its first and l2 and i3 engageable with the shoulders 5 and 0, respectively, and manually engageable release tabs Ill and I 5, thereby to provide easily operated resilient locks for the compartments.

The end portions 1 and 8 are bent as at it and il respectively, to establish shoulders blocking the interior of the compartments I0 and II, respectively and bringing the end portions 1 and 8 between their shoulders and their hooks into contact with a substantial length of the intermediate portion 9 as at [8 and i9, respectively. This construction makes it extremely difiicult to wedge the compartments open from their interiors.

In accordance with the foregoing, it will be apparent that myinvention makes possible the economical production of closures for clips or other devices having many advantages. Each of the compartments has an easily operated lock and is strongly resistant to being opened by an interior wedging action and may be readily adapted to meet a Wide range of demands.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A carrying clip comprising a strip of resilient stock including an intermediate portion, and first and second end portions disposed relative thereto to establish first and second oppositely disposed compartments, each of said first and second portions including a hook and a manually engageable release tab, the junctions between said first and second portions and said intermediate portion establishing shoulders, each of which is engageable by one of said hooks to establish a resilient lock, and each of said first and second portions including a shoulder spaced from its hook and disposed to close the interior of the compartment which it establishes and to bring the terminal ends of the compartment establishing portions into mutual contact between said last named shoulder and one of said first named shoulders.

WILLIAM G. LA PIERRE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 483,605 Fien Oct. 4, 1892 723,454 Foster Mar. 24, 1903 1,640,278 Johnson Aug. 23, 1927 2,366,041 Morehouse Dec. 26, 1944 

